Floating mine.



P. L. E. DEL FUNGO-GIERA.

FLOATING MINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19. ms.

Patented'Sep t. 5, 1916.

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P. L. E. DEL FUNGO-GIERA.

FLOATING MIN E.

APPLICATION FILED mm: 19. 1915.

Paten ted Sept. 5, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR P125 61 6/ Einyo-Gz'ezw AURA/E8 @FFTQE.

PHILIPPO L. E. DEL FUNGO-GIERA, OF HAMPTON, NEW JERSEY.

FLOATING MINE.

Application filed June 19, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIPPO L. E. DEL FUNGo-GIERA, a citizen of the Republic of Switzerland, and a resident of Hampton, in the county of Hunterdon and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Floating Mines, of which the following is a. specification.

This invention relates to mines used as defensive and offensive means in warfare, more particularly to the type anchored in a submerged or partially submerged position at the entrances to and within harbors and the like, and one of the main objects thereof is to provide such mines which may be safely handled in transportation to the points of use and which are immune from accidental explosion when anchored or if they should escape from their anchoring means for any cause.

My mines may be made of either contact or dormant forms, the latter being adapted to be exploded from a central station at a distance, as from a fort at the entrance to a harbor, and they consist primarily of an inner shell for the exploding charge inclosed within an outer shell or armor, an ignition element, and external means for rendering the same operable, the outer shell being preferably formed of material weakened at a plurality or multitude of points in order to causethe same to be shattered into fragments, or separate projectiles, when the mine is exploded.

My invention is fully described in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which like characters refer to like parts in each of the views, and in which Figure l is a longitudinal, central, section taken through a contact mine constructed in accordance with my invention, on the line 11 of Fig, 2; Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sec tion taken on the line 14: of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of a dormant mine embodying my invention; and Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5.

In Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive I have shown a contact mine comprising an outer shell 7 having mushroom shaped ends 8 and 9, the lower one of which is in screw threaded engagement with the cylindrical shell 7 the upper end 8 may be separately formed and Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

Serial No. 35,029.

welded or otherwise secured to the cylinder 6 to form a unit, the material of said shell and end or head 8 being interiorly dented to weaken the same at a multitude of points whereby said shell is entirely shattered when the mine is set ofl instead of being merely broken into several sections or only split, thereby inflicting correspondingly greater damage.

The cylindrical shell 7 is provided with interiorly, diametrically, and longitudinally arranged pairs of L-bars 10 serving as positloning means for similarly arranged ribs 11 on an inner shell 12 provided with upper and lower heads 18 and 14 secured by means of bolts or the like to the cylindrical shell 12. A strap 15 is provided at the lower ends of each of the pairs of L-bars 10 to limit the downward movement of the inner shell 12 with respect to the outer shell 7, and I provide a plurality of spring resisted buffers 16 011 the interior of the outer shell 7 to receive upward impact of the inner shell 12 in a yielding manner, as when the mine is being transportedor in the bobbing and jerking movements in a seaway.

The inner shell 12 is provided with a dished partition 17 intermediate its length to form compartments 18 and 19, the lower of which, 19, is intended to receive the bursting charge, an opening 20 protected by means of a removable closure 21 being provided to allow the introduction of the charge into the compartment 19, and I prefer to provide strengthening beads 22 on the inner shell 12, as clearly shown.

Bolted on the upper surface of the partition 17 is a sleeve 23 provided with an open top having a removable cover 24 in turn provided with a central opening through which is passed a frangible container 25 for an ignition element as, for instance, sulfuric acid, a glass bottle being illustrated, the sleeve 23 having a shelf 26 therein upon which the container 25 rests, the sleeve 23 serving as a receptacle for an explosive mixture ignited by the sulfuric acid to break the partition 17 and thus set 01? the bursting charge, one mixture being composed of potash, dry gun-cotton, carbon and sugar.

Slidably mounted in the inner shell 12, suitable brackets 27, and the sleeve 23, are a plurality of bolts 28 arranged at desired points and provided, each, with a flange 29 to limit the outward movement thereof and serving also as a bearing for a coil spring 30 also bearing on the respective bracket 27 and normally maintaining the respective bolt in outermost position, just clear of the container or bottle 25. In the form shown, these bolts are eight in number, four being arranged at quadrant points in the same transverse plane, and four at quadrant points, stepped with respect to the other four, in the upper head 13 and having the bottle 25 as their objective. It will be obvious that, if any of the bolts be forced inwardly, the bottle will be broken and the contents released to set off the bursting charge in the compartment 19.

Slidably mounted in the outer shell 7 and in the head 8 thereof are a plurality of plungers 31 suitably packed against the admission of water to the interior of the shell 7, there being one of said plungers in the axial line of each of the bolts 28 in the normal position of the inner shell with respect to the outer shell. Each of these plungers 31 is provided with a mushroom head 32 and with a flange and spring similar to those described with respect to the bolts 28 to maintain said plungers in out ermost positions, suitable guiding brackets 33 being provided on the interior of the shell 7, and it will be seen that, if any of said plungers is driven inwardly of the mine, the respective bolt or bolts is likewise forced inwardly to break the bottle 25.

Carried by each of the brackets 33 is a box 34 serving as a guide for a plunger lock 35 normally held in a groove 36 in the respective plunger by means of a spring 37 within the respective box. These locks are secured at their lower ends to a hoop 38 in turn connected, by means of bars 39, to a lower hoop 40 connected, by means of bars 41, with a disk 42 whereby all of said locks are moved in unison. Secured to the disk 42 is an eye-bolt 43 having its eye on the exterior of the mine for attachment to a cable or chain in turn connected with any desired anchoring means. Secured on the eye-bolt, within the shell 7, and spaced from the disk 42 is a supplemental disk 44 held in uppermost position by means of a plurality of springs 45, and I provide a suitable packing for the eye-bolt where it passes through the lower head 9, and an eye or ring 46 at the upper end of the mine. lVhen the mine is anchored in position it assumes the position shown in Fig. 1 because of its buoyancy and the springs 45 may be sufiiciently resisting to prevent the downward movement of the eye-bolt 43 outwardly of the mine in tides or waves, although this is not essential, but said springs yield when a vessel strikes the mine and tends to force it away from its anchorlng means. When this occurs, the locks 35 are withdrawn from plunger engagement inoperative if they should float into neutral waters.

The dormant mine shown in Figs. '5 and 6 is in important respects similar to the contact mine described except as to the bottle breaking bolt actuation means. Instead of the plungers 31 I provide plungers 47 carried by pistons 47 movable in cylinders 48 having a compressed air supply'pipe 49 in communication with the outer ends thereof; when the pipe 49 is charged, as from a central station, the pistons 47 are driven inwardly to actuate the plungers to drive the respective bolts against the bottle 25 and break the same, thus exploding the mine. The dormant mines are usually submerged at the entrance to a harbor and are adapted to be individually exploded, or in groups at particular points, and I may, as shown, provide theeyes 46 at both ends to aid in their handling. In both forms, I will fill the space between the inner and outer shells with grease, but this has not been shown in the drawings as its position is obvious.

While I have shown certain preferred structural details, I do not desire to limit myself thereto, as many changes thereover may suggest themselves and be within the following claims, and I reserve the right thereto in so far as they are not a departure from the spirit of this invention or a sacri fice of its advantages. The mushroom shape of the contact heads 1s of the utmost importance in that the plungers are driven inwardly of the mine even though the impact of an object is at an angle to the axis of the plunger struck and also that, because of their'rounded contour, the object is guided to the axis of the particular plunger struck or, in other words, the contact between the object and the contact head is maintained while they move with respect to each other 'until the inward force is applied on the axis of the plunger.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A mine, comprising an outer shell, a hermetically sealed inner shell formed into compartments one of which is adapted to rece ve the explosive charge, a frangible contamer for an ignition element in the other compartment, movable plungers adapted to break said container, and means for actuating said plungers.

2. A mine, comprising an outer shell, a hermetically sealed inner shell formed into compartments one of which is adapted to receive the explosive charge, a frangible container for an ignition element in the other compartment, exteriorly actuated plungers carried by said outer shell, and sliding bolts interposed between said container and plungers and adapted to break the former in the inward movement of the latter.

3. A mine, comprising an outer shell, a hermetically sealed inner shell formed into compartments one of which is adapted to receive the explosive charge, a frangible container for an ignition element in the other compartment, movable plungers exteriorly operated to break said container, and means for locking said plungers against movement.

4:. A mine, comprising an outer shell, a hermetically sealed inner shell, formed into compartments one of which is adapted to receive the explosive charge, a frangible container for an ignition element in the other compartment, movable plungers exteriorly operated to break said container, means for locking said plungers against movement, means for anchoring said mine, and means interposed between said locking means and said anchoring means for unlocking the former when said mine is forced away from the latter.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PHILIPPO L. E. DEL FUNGO-GIERA.

lVitnesses H. F. SOH ALTZ, W'M. H. THOMPSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). 0. 

